Welt for boots and shoes



Dec. 8, 1925- J. E. FALLON WELT FOR BOOTS AND SHOES Filed May 1?, 1924 //v I/f/VTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 192a- PATENT orl-"lcs.

JOSEPH E. IALLON OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WELT FOB BOOTS AND SHOES.

Application filed Kay 17, 1924. Serial No. 713,946.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Joseru E. Fathom, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts. have invented an Improvement in Welts for -Boots and Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a new improved welt for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and one of the objects of the present invention is to providea welt which may be secured to the shoe parts as heretofore, and yet present a head or cord-like finish about the shoe above the laterally extending ortion of the welt.

In accor ance with the present invention, the welt or strip of welt material, such as leather, is provided with two portions extending longitudinall of the welt and connected by a flexible hinge whereby when the welt is secured to the shoe-parts, the longitudinally extending edge of one of the welt portions will present a bead or cord-like finish in the crease between the shoe upper and the other portion of the welt. In some cases the bead or cord-like finish is much improved in appearance by a casing or binding placed about the longitudinal edge of that portion of the welt.

In cases where the welt is formed of leather, it has been found advantageous to skive or cut away a portion of the leather at the flesh side of the welt to provide a main body portion and a thinner inseam portion. The term main bod portion is erein generally used to identify that part of the welt to which the outsole is secured,

while the term inseam portion is herein used to designate that part of the welt which receives the inseam or the securing means for attaching the welt to the upper and insole, but such termsare not terms of limitation but rather terms of identification.

Where the welt is provided with a casing enclosing the longitudinal edge of the inseam portion, it is expedient in some cases, as least, to provide a stitch receiving roove or inseam groove on one surface of t e inseam portion of the welt and to carry the casing over such groove, so that when the welt is finally connected to the upper and insole, the stitches or other fasteners which pass throu h theinseam portion of the welt may likewise advantageously pass through a portion of the casing, thereby securely holding it in place during themaking and subsequent wear of. the shoe. I

The various novel features of the present invention-will best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings of one good form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a shoe embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section onthe line '22 of Fig. 1;

Fi 3 is an under-side view of a. welt embodyin the present invention and showing t? strip of welt'before it is applied to the s 0e;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to that of Fig. 3 but showin the casing or binding about the longitudina lly extending edge of the inseam portion of the Welt;

Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of a small piece of welt embodying the present invention and showing the welt before .the main and inseam portions are folded or turned about the longitudinal hinge;

Fig. 6 is a view of a piece of Welt similar to that of Fig. 5, but showing the two welt portions partially turned towards each other about the longitudinally extending flexible hinge;

Fig. 7 is a similar view but showing the piece of welt in the position it will finally occupy in the finished shoe, and showing the exposed longitudinal edge of the in seam portion above the main portion of the welt; and

Fig. 8 is a view showing the toe portion of the shoe with the present invention embodied therein.

The shoe or shoe parts illustrated in Figs. 1 and'8v showthe bead or cord-like finsh imparted to the shoe by vthe'welt of the present invention, and in the illustrations it will be noted that the general appearance of a shoe havin the welt of the present invention embodled therein is that of a finish in the crease, and located as a bead or cordlike ornamentation between the shoe u per and the main body portion of the we t.

The welt shown in Fig. 3 is assumed to be formed of leather and it comprises a stri of the material having a body portion 1 and an inseam portion 2,v the formerbeing thicker than the latter. In order that the welt may be properly placed about the contour of the shoe, it has been usual heretofore to provide the welt with diagonal slashes, and in accordance with the present invention, these are advantageously employed in connection with the main body portion 1 of the welt and serve to impart to the welt the desired flexibility for passing around the contour of the shoe.

Where the welt is formed of leather, as in Fig. 3, the inseam portion 2 may be made unlformly thinner than the main body portion 1 by skiving or cutting away a part of the flesh side of the leather, such as indicated at 3. It is preferable to thus thin the inseam portion of the welt, although in some instances it-may not be necessary.

The main body portion of the welt is pro 'vided with a series of diagonal slashes 4 which, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4:, pass through the under width of the main body portion without, however, extendin from the bottom to the top surface thereo Between the main body portion 1 of the welt and the inseam portion 2 there is formed a flexible hinge which enables the two ortions of the-welt to be turned about the ongitudinal fold line provided, first into the position indicated in Fig. 6, and finally into the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 7 as will more fully appear. The flexibility of the hinge connecting the main and inseam portions of the welt may be increased by providing a groove 5 formed in one surface of the welt and preferably in the under or flesh side of the welt, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, but this groove is not essential in all cases as the reduced thickness of the welt formed by skiving or cutting away one of its faces as above described may give the welt hinge suflicient flexibility.

- The flexible hinge, formed as a connecting medium between the main and inseam portions of the welt is advantageously located at the union of the two ortions, so that when the inseam portion is secured to the upper and insole, the main body portion of the welt may extend laterally from the shoe in position to receive the fasteners which secure the out sole to the welt.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the welt is secured to the upper 6 and the insole 7 by stitches 8 or other suitable fastening means, which pass through the inseam ortion 2 ofthe welt at a point adjacent t e flexible hinge,

so that the longitudinal edge of the inseam inseam portion 2 of the welt be provided w th a groove 9 for receiving the inseam stitches or other fastening means which se- "cure ther'welt to the upper and insole.

wardly pro'ecting position even without tempering t e Welt in many cases, because the longitudinally extending hinge provides a flexible fold line where the two parts of the welt -.may be turned or folded towards each other. When the welt has been secured to the upper materials, as explained, the outsole 10 may be applied to the shoe and secured to the main body portion 1 of the welt byfastening means 11 which may be one or more lines of stitches or other fastenin means.

En anced finish appearance of the bead or cord-like efiect presented by the edge of the inseam portion of the welt when in position on the shoe is secured by placing a casing or covering 12 of suitable material about the. exposed edge of the inseam portion 2. The casing 12 may be of suitable material, such, for instance, as leather,which may be either the same or of different character than the material of which the shoe upper is made, or it may be made of any preferred material.

As shown, the casing 12 is indicated as formed of astrip of leather which is folded about the inseam portion 2 of the welt, and is secured thereto by an adhesive placed between the engaging surfaces of the casing or lbinding and the inseam portion 2 of the we t.

In securing the welt to the shoe upper and tion of the welt but through the casing as i well, a condition clearly shown in Fig. 2.

As hereinbefore indicated, it is desirable at times to provide a stitch receiving groove or inseam groove along the surface of the inseam portion of the welt, as indicated at 9, Fig. 3, and where the casing or binding 12 is employed it is preferable to carry the binding over the stitch or inseam groove so that when the stitches or fasteners are attached to the welt they will at once secure the binding or casing in place.

flexible union between said portions of the welt, so that the two portions of the welt may be folded orturned into partly folded position, as indicated in Fig. 6, at whichtime it will be noted that the groove 5 will open out to accommodate the material of the welt to the changed position of parts. When the welt has been finally turned about the flexible hinge into the position indicated in Fig. 7, which is approximately the position the welt occupies in the finished shoe, the groove 5 will still further open out, stretching the parts of the hinge slightly without undue compression of the particles of the welt on the inner portion of the curve about which the parts of the welt are turned.

When the welt has been secured to the shoe and the outer sole secured to the welt, as indicated in Fig. 2, it will be seen that the welt has been folded or turned about the hinge, s0 as to present tothe exterior of the shoe the edgesof both the main body portion 1 of the welt, to which the outsole is secured, and the inseam portion 2 of the welt, to which the upper and insole are secured, and that the latter presents a bead or cord-like eflect above the main body portion of the welt, or in other words, in the crease between the upper and the outwardly extending main body portion of the welt. It will be further apparent from the crosssection of Fig. 2 that when the shoe parts and welt have been assembled, as shown and described, the shoe is rendered practically water-proof, because the welt is turned bodily about its hinge to cover all the seam parts leading to the interior of the shoe, and in this construction the stitches 8 may be drawn much tighter than the stitches employed heretofore to secure the welt to the insole and upper.

Since the purpose of the hinge is to enable the welt to be turned about the longi tudinal fold line, as indicated in Figs.v 2, 6 and 7, the inseam groove'9 which is formed in the inseam portion 2 of the welt is preferably placed at one side of the groove 5 forming the flexible hinge, and on the opposite surface of the welt, so that there is no weakening of the material at the hinge, and at the same time. a needle guide or groove is provided for receiving the inseam stitches.

What is claimed is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a welt for use in making boots and shoes, comprising a main body portion for attachment of the outsole, an inseam portion for the attachment of the upper and insole, and a flexible hinge of less thickness than the main body portion extending longitudinally of the welt between the body portion and the inseam portion which enables the welt to be lrent longitudinally with the longitudinal edge of the inseam portion presenting a bead or cord-like finish above the main body portion of the welt.

2. As an article of manufacturaa welt for use in making boots and shoes, consisting of a strip of welt material having a main body portion and an inseam portion thinner than the main body portion, and a flexible hinge at the longitudinal meeting edges ofthe main body portion and thinner inseam portion that the inseam portion may beattached to theshoe with the edge of suchinseam portion forming a bead or cord-like fin sh between the shoe upper and main body portion of the welt.

'3. As an article of manufacture, a welt for use in makin boots and shoes, comprising a main bo y portion for attachment of the outsole, an inseam ortion for attachment of the upper and insole having a :binding coveringits longitudinal edge, and

a flexible hinge extending longitudinally of the welt between the main body portion and inseam portion that the welt may be folded longitudinally and attached to the shoe with the binding covered longitudinal edge of the inseam portion forming a bead or cord-like finish above the main body portion of the welt.

4. As an article of manufacture, a welt comprising a strip of welt material having a portion of one surface cut away .to form a main body portion and an inseam portion of different thickness, and a groove formed in one of the surfaces to provide a flexible hinge between the main body portion and inseam portion that the welt may be bent longitudinally when attached to the shoe and present the longitudinal edge of the inseam portion as a bead or cord-like finish above the main body portion of the welt.

5. As an article of manufacture, a welt comprising a strip of welt material having a portion of one surface cut away to form a main body portion and an inseam portion, and havinga groove formed in said surface constituting a flexible hinge uniting the two portions of the welt, and a casing covering the longitudinal edge of the inseam portion and forming a head or cord-like finish thereto.

6. As an article of manufacture, a welt for use in makin boots and shoes, comprising a main boy portion and an inseam portion having a groove between them constituting a flexible hinge about which the two ortions of the welt may turn -lo'ngitu tudinal edge of the inseam portion to embrace its opposite sides and forming a bead finish. a

7. As an article of manufacture, a welt for use in making boots and shoes, comprising a main body portion and an inseam portion having a groove between them constituting a flexible hinge about which the two portions of the welt may turn longitudinally, a casing folded about the longitudinal edge of the inseam portion to embrace its opposite sides and forming a bead finish, said inseam portion being provided with an inseam groove.

8. As an article of manufacture, a-welt for use in making boots and shoes, consisting of a strip of welt material havin a main body portion and an inseam portion thinner than the main body portion, a flexible hinge at the longitudinal meeting edges of the main body portion .and thinner inseam portion that the inseam portion may be attached to the shoe with the edge of such inseam portion forming a bead between the shoe upper and main body portion of the welt and a casing covering the longitudinal bead-like edge of thevinseam portion.

name to this specification. I

JOSEPH E. FALLON In testimony whereof, I have signed my 

